


Some Things Don't Need Translating

by Lady_Ganesh



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Dancing, First Kiss, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Otabek Altin Week 2018, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 00:22:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16482539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Ganesh/pseuds/Lady_Ganesh
Summary: Leo's got a new guest who might turn into a new friend.





	Some Things Don't Need Translating

"He's quiet," Leo's mother said. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah," Leo said. He was quiet, but it didn't seem like a bad quiet. He worked hard, and focused a lot on his own stuff rather than making small talk, but he answered Leo readily enough, his accent thick and unfamiliar.

"I think he might just need some time to come out of his shell," she said. "But he might not. You think you're going to be okay if he's this quiet all the time?"

"Yeah," Leo said. "He's not a jerk. He just doesn't talk much."

"I know it's pretty different than last time." 

His last roommate had been from Switzerland and talked nonstop. "It's not bad, though," he said. "Even if he was--I wouldn't want to be alone in another country. It can't be easy, right? But he seems cool."

"Good," she said. "You're--you're a thoughtful kid, Leo." She squeezed him. "I've got a tres leches cake baking for tonight, a little treat to welcome him to the US."

Mom was good about following his meal plan when he was at home, so this was _definitely_ a treat. "Thanks," he said. 

"The way to a teenage boy's heart," she said, grinning.

"I already love you."

"Funny."

 

Otabek opened up a little more when he danced. He talked a little with Leo's dance teacher Elena about his previous dance experience--too much ballet, too little success in ballet--and what he really wanted (to be more graceful, to express what he heard in the music more successfully with his body).

"That seems pretty reachable," Elena said. "You haven't done any jazz?"

"A little," he said, "but Coach Brezina didn't think it was helping me much."

"Well, I'm not Coach Brezina. Any dance training helps you move in space, even if you're not on the ice. You’re willing to give it a shot?"

"Of course," Otabek said. "I want to--I want to make it to the next level. I know the judges want more than good jumps. I have to work on my artistry."

"I think you've got the potential," she said. "And I think Leo's coach is right that you can bring each other up. You're similar in age, and you seem to have complimentary strengths. I'm pleased we're going to be working together."

"Thank you," he said, and Leo almost thought he saw a smile.

 

They had an hour of jazz together, and Otabek picked up pretty quickly. "Can we pick our own music?" Otabek said, on the way down the stairs.

"Sometimes," he said. "You kind of have to earn it."

"I guess I'll need to work hard."

"I'm not too worried about that." They pushed out the door and into the street; Mom had dropped them off on her way to work, but it was on them to get back. "We’ll get your own bus pass, too. That'll make it easier. You read English okay, right?"

Otabek nodded.

"Did you have to study English in school?" Leo asked, as they walked to the bus stop. "You're really good."

"Some," Otabek said. "There are a lot of people who speak English in Almaty; Mama's an international lawyer, so she is very--fluent?”

Leo nodded. “Yeah. Fluent.”

“When I knew I'd be coming here, I started practicing with one of my neighbors, too. But--thanks."

"And you know Kazakh _and_ Russian, right?"

He shrugged. "A little Korean, too."

"Are you serious? That's so cool! I only know English and Spanish."

"I've always wanted to learn Spanish," he said. "Maybe we can--um. Trade?"

"Yeah, that's the word. That'd be really cool. I've always wanted to know more languages. Someone told me that we're supposed to be better at picking up languages," he said. "Skaters. Maybe it's a music thing?"

"Maybe," Otabek said. "We've spent a lot of time working with music. And I DJ, too--"

"Wait, seriously?" No wonder he'd been asking about choosing his own music. "You _have_ to tell me about it, I love music--did you bring your stuff with you?" He _had_ been carrying a really heavy suitcase. 

Otabek nodded. "Are there good clubs around here?"

"There are even some all-ages ones," Leo said. "I mean, we'll be busy with training, but usually I get to go out dancing some--if you want to come, we could--"

"I'd like that," Otabek said. "That'd be great."

"Good," Leo said, and Otabek looked like he was smiling a little, and that was even better.

 

Otabek let him watch while he mixed music. 

"You're good at this," he said. "I learned clarinet, but never anything like this."

"My aunt's a violinist," Otabek said. "We were all supposed to learn an instrument. I had piano lessons for a while, but you can't exactly carry it around to competitions, and you can't really practice anything loud when you're in a dorm. I started doing this instead. Around, um, middle school in the US, I think. When I had my headphones on, I could play as much music as I wanted."

"That's really cool."

"I think my aunt would rather have had me learn clarinet."

Leo laughed.

"You want to give it a shot?"

"...can I?"

"I'm going to give you your own file, not one of mine..."

 

"You deserve a break, don't you?" Elena asked one Friday. "You're both working hard. And I'm pleased to see you working together. So today--"

"Ballroom?" Leo turned to Otabek. "Would you mind? Can you--"

"I know a little tango?"

Leo grinned. "We can start simple."

"Tango?" Elena tipped her head. "A little dramatic, though I'm starting to sense that's your style."

Otabek's cheeks colored a little.

Elena grinned. "It's not an insult, Mr. Altin. I think you're starting to know your own style." She gestured at her own clothes, a candy-striped leotard that she'd had almost as long as Leo had been working with her. "I know mine. I'm glad to see you starting to be more confident in yours."

"Oh," he said.

Otabek knew a little tango, as he'd promised, and Leo knew the steps pretty well. They matched each other's steps pretty well, and were close enough in height to not have to compensate for much. Otabek's sense of rhythm was as good as Leo's own, maybe better. 

And he...it felt good to dance with him. His body was muscular and he moved well, and Leo liked the feeling of Otabek's arms around him. 

Leo had liked the guys who'd stayed at his house before, but he hadn't found them as--

As _hot._

But Otabek's fingers lingered on his waist, too. Otabek didn't pull away when the music encouraged them to slide closer. And when the music stopped, they paused, locked together, as if neither of them wanted the music to end.

"Well done," Elena's voice floated over. "I think this was an excellent choice for today, and if it wasn't for the Ballet Basics kids about to trample us all, I'd let you have some more time. You can practice in your own time, though."

 

After a while, they settled into a routine: skating, dance, classes, homework. Leo's friends were impressed by Otabek's accent (Maya said it was 'sexy,' and Aaron tried for a date, with no success) and even more impressed with his DJ skills. He ended up DJing for the freshman fall dance, which made them even _more_ popular. 

But Otabek mostly kept to himself, still, except for hanging out with Leo and sometimes Aaron and Jaz, who'd been his friends since middle school. They went out to Latinique and Rock Candy and danced until they were drenched in sweat. 

Sometimes Leo would sit down early just to watch Otabek dance, watch the way his hips moved, the way his muscles moved under his t-shirt. Jaz noticed, but she didn't say anything. It stayed that way through the first quarter, where his parents offered to Skype Otabek's mothers into parent-teacher conferences, and everyone made good enough grades that Mom and Dad took everyone out for ice cream after.

By then the season had started, and that was pretty much the end of school dances, though they still managed to sneak out to a club every once in a while. In Minsk, Leo won silver and Otabek missed the podium by a few points. Someone from Riedell offered Otabek a sponsorship, and that seemed almost as satisfying to him as being on the podium.

They got home at two in the morning, thanks to yet another delayed flight, and when Dad picked them up from the airport Leo almost fell asleep on Otabek's shoulder in the back seat.

 

He woke up in his own bed, with Otabek, fully dressed, next to him. Leo had pulled his own pants off before he crawled under the sheets, but that was about what he'd done. They'd talked a little, and Otabek had fallen asleep, and Leo had been too tired to even think to move him.

Otabek looked good even when he was asleep. He felt warm. Close. Leo reached, tentative, close enough to feel Otabek's breathing.

And then Otabek's eyes opened, and Leo was frozen, hand just over Otabek's ribs, and _shit,_ there was no way out of this.

"I--I'm sorry," Leo said, snatching his hand back, blood rushing so hard in his ears he almost couldn't hear. Otabek looked at him, his eyes wide and dark and beautiful. "I--"

"It's okay," Otabek said, and he looked nervous too. 

"I like you," Leo said. "I'm sorry."

"Please don't be sorry." Otabek's hair was a mess; gel and sleep were a bad combination. He still looked so good.

"I know you want to go home, eventually," Leo said. "And we're competitors, and--"

"I like you too," Otabek said. "I haven't said anything because I didn't want to screw anything up. It's good here. When I'm home, I'm with people I've known my whole life, and I have more friends. Here it--I'm not as good at making friends, I guess."

"I'm sorry," Leo said. "I shouldn't have--"

Otabek leaned forward and pressed their lips together again, harder than Leo had dared, and Leo kissed back. Their teeth knocked together, hard enough Leo winced, but he didn't want to stop, and Otabek apparently didn't either. Otabek grabbed his ass and pulled him closer.

They didn't talk for a while after that. 

"You okay?" Leo said, when they broke apart.

Otabek nodded. His lips were redder, and his hair was even worse than it had been. 

"We could--we can be friends," he said. "People do that. Friends with benefits, right?"

"Yeah," Otabek said, and pulled him back in for another kiss.


End file.
